My recent Winter Park blog got me thinking about the sorry state of affairs we artists face trying to make a living at the shows.
Evidence the disdain that the Bayou City board has shown towards the originally invited 300 exhibitors.
Witness where committees, at most shows, put us at the bottom of the pile in regards to respect. Heck, food vendors are higher on the chain than us. They always get nearby parking for setup, teardown and restocking. We rarely get the same. Ironically, without us, the foodies would not make dime.
Witness the ignorance of the supposed buying public who think we are a bunch of gypsies who sleep in our white tents, or our vans.
It is a sad state of affairs when many buyers think A/P stands for arty photo rather than "artist proof."
Many don't know that 1/1 means it is a one-of-a-kind.
And we won't even get into the issue of everyone with a cellphone camera who think it is their God-given right to take images of our work without asking.
The sad state of increased buy/sell showing up at our venues and committees not willing to give them the boot.
In most professions, people with a long history of that profession, are treated with respect. People value their knowledge and insights. But not ours.
Repeatedly shows will not listen to valuable insights and opinions we might offer.
I don't know how many hundreds of times I have seen a show with a messed-up patron flow not listen to artists, on the surveys. We know how a show should flow. We have been to many good shows that get it.
I just worry a lot about our future.
It seems that having a pure art show where the art is the main event is not ENOUGH for too many shows these days.
They all want the event.
Which translates into high gate fees, seven-dollar beers and diminished sales for the artists.
Without us, and our original works of art, they would be nada.
See how much Kettle corn you sell without us there.
Once upon a time I went to shows and felt appreciated.
People knew we were a special breed and we were rewarded for our hard work and creativity.
Not so much anymore.
It is like we are barely tolerated. "Here's your space, set up and be grateful. Don't make waves--and, God-forbid, don't complain about anything. We don't want to hear it."
The issue of increased booth fees is another sore spot with me.
Mediocre, midrange shows now dare charge $400-$450 booth fees, and exhibitors are lucky to break $2K in sales.
Ever since the big blabber-mouth from Sausalito came thru Florida, years ago, and told the Grove, and others et al, that their booth fees were too cheap, we have seen steady booth fee-creep. Fees went up, sales went down.
That don't work. It is not a viable business model.
Once upon a time this was a beautiful, enviable profession to be part of.
Shows were held in mellow parks with easy setups. You were surrounded with like-minded, talented neighbors. People came and really appreciated your work. A lot of them bought it. Artists were able to save money and build their own studios. The show people left us alone. They knew we could get in and setup on our own. We could do it at teardown without micro-management. It was a win-win proposition.
Now, we go to shows, sometimes at 4 am in the morn to setup. We spend three hours in a distant parking lot waiting to get in to set up.
We go to shows where the vast majority of the roaming public walks down aisles at the show and barely looks at anything.
Or better yet, they duck into your space to use it as their private phone booth while they chat away on the cellphone.
I would love to figure out how I could charge them a cellphone-boothfee for every minute they chat away inside the booth.
And we wonder why we don't see more young people jumping into our biz.
I am worried. Seriously worried.
I gotta make a living doing this.
Been doing it for 39 years now.
This October, I turn 69. I figure I am good for at least ten more, and then I will retire and become an art show promoter. "Pirate Art Shows. Come share the booty of our beauty." Look out Bill Kinney.
Well, I think I am sufficiently vented.
Would love to hear from some of you lurkers.
Whadda Ya think?
Are we headed for oblivion in our Magline carts-- or there a rosy future?
Comments
You've got some goofy math going on there, B. David Kay. My 1995 Dodge minivan was cheap to buy and is cheap to drive. Standard Mileage Rates always put money in my bank since my fuel and maintenance costs are much less than what the US government provides. Here's how:
I'll clock about 6,000 miles on my current tour. My van gets 22MPG, but I always round down when figuring what a trip will cost. So 6,000 miles divided by 20MPG is 300 gallons of gas I'll need to purchase at something like $3.50 per gallon. Actually, on the start of the trip I filled up several times at Missouri and other locations only charging 3.19 per gallon or thereabouts. So 300 gallons of gas times $3.50 average (which is a high average) is $1,050. My fuel costs will actually be less than that since I've found cheaper gas for more than 2,000 miles.
Standard Mileage Rate of .55 cents per mile times 6,000 bona-fide business related miles equals $3,300. That's a difference of $2,250 revenue in my favor if I'm paying $3.50 per gallon. I know that there are other costs related to operating a vehicle like oil and tires and axles and alignments and plugs and wires and tuneups and airconditioning recharging and sometimes a new transmission, but these expenses have only ONCE exceeded what the government SMR gives me back. 2011 was the only year in 18 wherein I had more maintenance costs. I am always making money back because I drive an inexpensive vehicle. SMR always helps offeset my income and thus lowering my taxes.
In your scenario, If I drove 2,000 miles round trip I'd need 100 gallons of gas at $3.50 per gallon, which equals $350. SMR of .55 times 2,000 bona-fide business miles equals $1,100. That's a difference of $750 revenue in my favor. Again, there's more to driving a vehicle than fuel costs, so I know about that. Still, $750 is a lot of margin for maintenance and insurance on a lesser expensive vehicle for a 10 day trip.
But I seldom ever drive 1,000 miles for a one weekend show and then drive home. I schedule a block of successive shows for a month or two. My initial costs are getting from my Wyoming studio to the shows, so it's best I jury into a group of them in an area LIKE CENTRAL AND PANHANDLE FLORIDA rather than to do just one or two.
Nels, great post/vent!!!! It is so true. Your comment about paying 450 for a booth and grossing 2K and w are supposed to be happy. 2000 minus 450 = 1550 Drive 1000 miles to get there. Fed tax allowance is .55 a mile. that is 550.X2. You have to get home =1100. now you are at 450 left. What is the cost of your product you just sold for the 2000 gross? Oh wait, I forgot to eat.
My point is that by the time you are done, with 2000 gross and 450 booth oh wait don't forget the secret jury fee of 35.00 too. And you have actually lost money. An artist once said, that he loved doing art shows and would never stop. Even if he won the lottery he would continue to do art shows until the money ran out. So much truth in that.
Well, that was the point I was trying to make. I think the alternative craft fairs will have to increase the overall quality and price of their work over time.
Oscar, I think the gate fee coupon may have potential. I have been at shows that offer coupons, and I only had one person redeem one with me. She had somehow got a hold of a bunch of coupons and redeemed them all. The show management was unhappy about it. Because all the artists are independent and the events are spread out, I think there are logistical hurdles in making coupons work effectively to drive business.
Also, I know that the alternative craft shows are not for everyone. (I have been rejected for being too high end before, too.) But they do draw a crowd. Personally, I think the decision to remain lower end is short sighted. In time, competition may drive them to present higher end art because their audience will always want more, newer, more interesting and amazing. I find that art fair attendees come to the shows to see things that knock their socks off. Those are not usually the $5.00 items...
This has been a very interesting thread set off by a thought provoking post, thanks Nels.
As an outsider looking in and not having experienced what you have, I do think smaller shows and events created by artists are the way forward. Returning to your roots in a way.
Even down here in Australia I've been reconsidering shows that are revealing their greed - they don't care about buy/sell, variety of goods to make it interesting to the public, booth presentation... they don't care about advertising or trying to get the buying public in - they just want the booth fees. My problem though is finding somewhere else suitable to go that isn't like that.
Seems a sad state of affairs here too thinking about it!!
We could go on a whole giant vent about our quick, "need it now" mentality and how we are living a "disposable" life style (not everyone, of course), but with stores like Forever 21 selling clothes for $5, a lot of people won't understand paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for a well-made, unique piece of art. I just hope it's the others that my art will speak to so I can eek out a living. What would be really great, is if I didn't have to "eek".
Hi Kristin, I just wanted to make it clear that I am not speaking of everybody who has made a post here, and even some of it might be speaking to something I read from another discussion that carried over into this one. As I said I agree with most of what has been said, but as Amy above said "This article scares me", as it does lot's of other artist, old and new. Fear can paralyze you... but at the same time this truth needs to be told and dealt with or else we perish. I did read a lot of people blaming even the customers for being ignorant about art, or not knowing what they were looking at... that I think is rather snobbish and self-righteous, especially when it's directed at some of the people who literally helped to support them when the times where good, as a matter of fact if the times were still good the customers would be like Gods to some of us.
Things were starting to sound kind of hopeless and hopelessness gives the illusion that there is nothing that can overcome these problems, there must be something else to the equation than just times are horrible and we are doomed. I feel that we have all contributed to these times at some point in our travels by allowing ourselves to be abused by show producers or actually participating in the abuse of others for self benefit. By being okay with the evil when the evil one is not looking to take "you" down.
Some of us were okay with the cost of unbelievably high priced shows, just as long as you were making money hand over fist and we were being allowed to be a part of those shows and certain others were not. Some of us on this forum think of ourselves as better than some of our co-artist, I don't know how many times I read statements from some of you bashing others because they were "crafters" and accusing them of not really being fine artist. Are painters the only true artist in the world? Isn't it all art and all of it is a kind of art using a specific technique? Does the whole art world need to belong to only a select few, because we are the finest artist and for heavens sake not crafters? Is it okay that the fine artist attend craft shows and make a lot of money, but a crafter should not be allowed to exhibit at a fine arts and crafts show? It all sounded a bit... yes, selfish and self-righteous, egotistical and more... we had started to kick at each other and I just couldn't be quiet about it any more.
With all of these selfish attitudes we are going to all cancel each other out if something doesn't change. If the shows continues to go up or even remain as high as they already are, we the artist and crafters won't be able to afford to even get prepared for the "Good Shows", which is the case for many already. Once we have paid all these fees, we can't afford the raw goods needed to make our great products before that really expensive first show. It is not sustainable and it will all come crashing down if we all don't make some changes and have some compassion for all who contribute to this world we live in... the art & craft world and the world at large.
This is what you get when it is a vicious cycle of "What In It For Me", of Take, Take, Take... as much as I can get, never mind if it is overpriced, a world of undercutting others at the expense of poor defenseless people who create products that are sold way cheaper than they could be sold for if the people making them weren't being paid slave wages. Somewhere, we have got to care about what is going on, what is being done and we have got to give, even when it hurts a little and somewhere we have got to stop wanting to be the man on top and everybody else below me.
It all starts with one person, self.
If not, we start out own art fairs.
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